Cohort 21 Present Four Capstone Games on Aug. 1 | July 1, 2025

Support our 71 artists, programmers and producers from Cohort 21 as their teams present their four capstone games to earn their Interactive Entertainment M.S. Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA) is proud to announce the final Capstone Game Presentations for Cohort 21 on Aug. 1, featuring four brand-new games developed by our talented graduate-level students. This…

FIEA Funhouse: Innovating the Future of VR Interaction | June 19, 2025

Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy’s GameLab students constantly tackle groundbreaking problems that push the boundaries of immersive technology. One such project called FIEA Funhouse, created by a 12-person team led by Cohort 21 Project Lead Greg Kelley, conquered a series of complex challenges in virtual reality (VR), exploring new ways to manipulate perception. A programming FIEA…

High School Students Level Up Knowledge of Gaming Careers at UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy | June 9, 2025

The KB Foundation-sponsored visit allows youths from Philadelphia to go behind the scenes of one of the nation’s top graduate gaming program. By Emily Dougherty | UCF Today Ben Noel, executive director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, stands at the front of a room giving a presentation to a group of high school students.…

Dinosaurs, Planes, and a VR Haunted House among prototypes at FIEA’s 2025 GameLab Presentations | April 28, 2025

FIEA’s Cohort 21 graduate students demonstrated a variety of interactive prototypes on Wednesday at their final GameLab presentations in the FIEA Sound Stage. Divided into eight teams, 71 students explored a mix of technology like voice recognition, AI, VR, haptics, and more to solve problems faced by industries adjacent to gaming. GameLab, a Spring semester…

High-tech Talent: UCF’s Video Game Design Programs Rank Among World’s Best for 2025 | March 18, 2025

UCF is recognized for its excellence across these programs, which have prepared hundreds of graduates who help craft some of the best-selling video games in the world — fueling a $400-billion industry. By Mark Schlueb ’93 ’21MA  A UCF FIEA student in Professor Cheryl Briggs’ MOCAP workshop works at a computer in the Shogun software…

Game Changer Files: Jarrett Wendt ’19 ’20MS, Senior Software Developer at AMD | February 14, 2025

Jarrett Wendt ’19 ’20MS, Senior Software Developer at AMD and FIEA alumnus of Cohort 16. Photography: Ryan Fox We’re asking FIEA alumni five questions about their experiences before, during and after graduating from UCF’s top-ranking game development program. On a quest for a creative atmosphere to explore programming, Jarrett Wendt ’19 ’20MS (Cohort 16) found…

Third Time Entertainment, Inc. and Florida Poly students take home first places at the FIEA Game Jam | January 23, 2025

Champs from Third Time Entertainment, Inc., Florida Polytechnic University, University of Florida, EA Orlando, Iron Galaxy, FIEA alumni, and others won top prizes after a rollercoaster weekend building games. A total of 34 teams competed to design and develop a winning game based on the subject of theme parks in less than 48 hours at…

FIEA Announces 14th Annual Chili Cook-off on February 7 | January 13, 2025

Do you have the best chili in UCF Downtown? Submit a crockpot of at least 6 to 8 quarts of your very best chili to enter FIEA’s 14th Annual Chili Cook-off on February 7! The sampling will begin at 12 p.m. in the Soundstage at UCF Downtown. Enter as an individual or a team! Teams…

Graduating Cohort 20 Students To Showcase Venture Projects on Monday | November 25, 2024

Just weeks away from graduating with their Master of Science in Interactive Entertainment, students and teams in the Cohort 20 Digital Venture Practicum will showcase their inventive projects on Monday, Dec. 2 at Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy at UCF Downtown. The venture course provides opportunities for students to work on their own product and/or company…

Game Changer Files: Erin Marek ’17MS, Game Director at Secret Door | October 1, 2024

Erin Marek ’17MS, FIEA alumna from Cohort 13. We’re asking FIEA alumni five questions about their experiences before, during and after graduating from UCF’s top-ranking game development program. From the harsh cold of the Arctic Circle to the Florida heat, to sunny California, Erin Marek ’17MS shares her story of discovering her love for crafting…